Algeria has not yet received any claim of responsibility from the kidnappers of two diplomats snatched near their mission in Baghdad, a spokesman said today
"As long as there are no claims of responsibility from those behind the kidnappings we have to wait. We don't know who is behind it," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "But we're doing all possible to free our diplomats."
In the Iraqi capital yesterday, eight gunmen seized mission chief Ali Belaroussi along with diplomatic attache Azzedine Belkadi, who took up his new post a few days earlier, he said.
"They had just left the embassy on their way to lunch when they were intercepted in their car some 60 metres from the embassy building," the spokesman said.
"An embassy attaché crossed his colleague's Toyota car in the street and then saw two cars pull up, gunmen get out of their vehicles and quickly snatched the two diplomats and put each of them in a car," he said.
Documents and mobile phones were left in the car of the diplomats, who were not accompanied by bodyguards.